Church’s Mission Impossible event makes much possible

Participants learn the rules of the Mission Impossible event on Friday night at White Sulphur Baptist Church in Georgetown, Ky. The event brings youth together with police and military personnel. (Kentucky Today/Brandon Porter)

Posted
Saturday, October 13, 2018 1:54 pm

By BRANDON PORTER, Kentucky Today

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (KT) - A church in Georgetown is taking extraordinary steps to accomplish the mission God has given them with a unique event.

For the past six years, the White Sulphur Baptist Church has hosted Mission Impossible, an event that brings youth, police and military personnel together. The Laser Tag style game is played at night where youth compete against police and military personnel who are known as commandos. It’s spread out across a brush filled, eight-acre field cut with paths that lead to a home base.

Watchtowers are scattered across the field so commandos can sweep spotlights looking for the youth and then pass information to the commandos on the ground.This year there was even a helicopter circling the field with a spotlight assisting the commandos.

Troey Stout, a DEA special agent in Lexington and White Sulphur Baptist Church member, is one of the organizers. “We want kids to have a positive experience with police and people with a military background,” he said. “All of the folks working with us have a servant’s heart.”

Preparation for the event takes the better part of a year. Wanda Miller, a leadership team member and church member, said it is a learning experience for the youth. “They have to learn about finishing the course and how challenging that can be,” she said.

The church also focuses on a charity and uses the event to raise funds. This year it was Kentucky Wounded Heroes, an organization based in Louisville that tries to help current or former military personnel, police officers, firefighters or EMTs who were injured while in combat or carrying out their line of duty.

“This gives kids an opportunity to learn about self-sacrifice,” director Chuck Reed said. “They learn about serving the community and that honors the Lord.”

Event organizers were specifically trying to help Scott County Deputy Jaime Morales. He was shot while assisting federal authorities trying to apprehend a suspected bank robber in September. Morales suffered several complications that left him 90 percent paralyzed. He is currently receiving spinal rehabilitation.

The students were told about Morales, although many already knew. “We want to try to help him because he gave so much to protect us,” said participant Coye Bays. “We hope that he sees our help as a sign of respect for him.”

At the end of day, the event organizers say their aim is evangelistic. “Our first priority is to spread the gospel,” Stout said. “We wanted to create a safe place where the kids could have fun, but also hear about Jesus Christ.”

Miller agreed, saying. “We’re not here for the credit to go to our church, but to help the kids come to know Jesus. It’s going to be a help to the body of Christ in our area and that’s what it’s all about.”

The evening concludes with one of the military or police personnel sharing about their relationship with Jesus Christ. “The kids get to play against the commandos, then one of them comes out of that group to share his faith and his personal story with the kids,” Miller said.

The Kentucky General Assembly is wrapping up its legislative session, and for two years in a row, lawmakers have utterly failed Kentucky families on the issue of expanding education options. But the lonely champions of parental, student, and teacher empowerment will carry on their struggle against the education establishment until every family has the opportunity to choose a school that best meets their child's needs. And I'll proudly count myself among them.